Topic: Pretty Dresses and Christmas Wishes

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:05 EST
There were few things more enjoyable than an over-excited child sharing her over-excitedness with the world in general. However, in some situations, it just wasn't appropriate - a dress fitting was definitely one of them. Lyneth wasn't known for being able to stand still at the best of times, and it didn't help that she was trying to bend over and watch what Miranda was doing all the time. But then, she had been very good during Piper's fitting, keeping still and quiet as her mother was pulled, pinched, and tugged about to get her wedding dress fitted perfectly. And now it was Lynnie's turn. Currently the tiny girl was bent almost double, her small face not far from Miranda's, peering at the hem in the woman's hand. "How'd you get it all neat and stuff?"

Miranda would have laughed, except for the fact that she was holding several straight pins in her mouth and the last thing she wanted to do was swallow them. Instead, she sighed and leaned back on her heels before pulling the pins from between her lips. "Lyneth, you little imp..." She reached out to tweak the child's nose. "If you don't stand up straight, it's going to come out all crooked. You don't want to look crooked, do you?" She had already told the little girl this at least once before, but it seemed Lyneth couldn't help her own curiosity.

"But I want to see what you're doin'," the tiny girl complained, obediently straightening up with a long-suffering sigh.

Behind Miranda, Piper swallowed a laugh at her daughter's ridiculous behavior, herself already changed back into her own clothes while she waited. "Lynnie, just be glad you don't have boobs yet," she told the Fae-child. "Getting a dress to fit over them is very tricky."

"Don't I know it!" Miranda remarked, mostly to herself. Piper wasn't too overly endowed, but the other bride who was part of this double wedding, and who just happened to be Miranda's daughter, was another matter. "Tell you what..." Miranda started, beaming an impish smile of her own at the little girl. "You stay perfectly still for five more minutes, and I'll buy you an ice cream."

"I can make boobies if you want," Lynnie began to offer, only to be cut off by the promise of ice cream. Her turquoise eyes lit up with hopeful excitement, the sweet little face producing a grin that was perfectly angelic and at the same time mischievous as all hell. "Can I have choklit ice cream?" she asked Miranda, not daring to turn that question onto Piper. The last two times Lyneth had eaten ice cream, the result had been vomit, but to be fair, that had to do with the sheer amount of the sweet treat she'd ingested.

"Only if you stand still," Miranda replied, emphasizing each word with a playful tap of a finger against Lyneth's pug nose. "Don't rush things, Lyneth. You'll have boobies soon enough and then you'll be complaining about having to wear a bra, like the rest of it." She bent over again, this time pinning the hem straight instead of sewing it. She'd have a much easier time sewing it without a certain little girl wiggling around inside of it.

"You, little woman, are getting entirely too good at manipulating adults for your own gain," Piper informed her daughter through a smile. But Lyneth had been good today, better than she had been expecting. The treat was coming anyway.

"But you lubs me anyway, doesn't you?" the tiny girl demanded, standing as straight as she could while Miranda moved around on her knees to get the hem pinned straight. "And if I wanted, my boobies wouldn't never need a bar."

"A bra," Miranda corrected as she folded up the hem and stuck another pin or two in the fabric. "You are going to look as pretty as a fairy princess in this dress, Lynnie dear," Miranda remarked, rather proud of her work, though without a pretty girl to wear such a creation, there wasn't much point in it. "You should have seen your Aunt Bethany when she got her first bra. You'd think it was the end of the world."

Lyneth giggled, the sound surprisingly filthy from such a little person. "Bef'ny's got big boobies," she agreed impishly. "An' she doesn't always wear a bar - bra - when Uncle Jason's around. Like he doesn't always wear knickers when she is."

Piper's head snapped up at this, the warning look in her eyes very nearly lost in the smile that was trying very hard to make itself known on her face. She glanced at Miranda. "Maybe I should talk to them about keeping their door shut when they're staying with us."

Miranda was about to agree with Lyneth's assessment of her own daughter's ample bosom when the girl continued, alluding to possibly having seen more than anyone - especially a young child - should have seen. She was shocked for just a split second before dissolving into a fit of giggles of her own. "Hopefully, they can wait until after the wedding to make me a gramma," she remarked. Miranda drew a sigh and leaned back on her heels again, smiling widely at the little girl in front of her who was dressed up all pretty in pink. "There, now. All done. Would you like to have a look in the mirror?"

"I've got a Gramma," Lyneth informed Miranda with a certain air of smug superiority. "An' I got a Granpa, too. They don't come here very much." Offered the opportunity to see herself in her pretty flower girl dress, she instantly forgot whatever it was she had been about to say about her grandparents, bouncing on her little bare feet with excitement. "Oooh, can I" Do I look all pretty and stuff, like Mummy did in her dress" Can I see Auntie Bef'ny's dress, too' An' keep this for myself?"

Miranda glanced over at Lyneth in her flower girl dress, a whimsical frown on her face that might have been mistaken for thoughtfulness. She was thinking about her own Bethany when she was that age and how quickly she'd grown up. Too fast, really. Was she really getting married? Miranda blinked the tears away before either of her guests could notice, knowing she was going to be a sobbing mess come the wedding day.

"You look absolutely scrumptious!" a male voice declared, and Miranda turned to find Desmond had somehow snuck in without being noticed. Thankfully, Miranda had already tucked Piper's dress away for safekeeping.

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:06 EST
"Some people need to learn how to knock," Miranda muttered under her breath goodnaturedly.

"Daddy!" With a complete disregard for her pretty dress which just proved she was a child, despite some evidence to the contrary, Lyneth leapt down from her little podium and pattered across the floor to Des, her arms uplifted in obvious expectation of a hug at the very least.

Piper chuckled, rolling her eyes at her daughter as she rose onto her own feet. If either one of them got stuck with pins, it was their own fault.

And as if on cue, Desmond bent over and swept the little imp that was his daughter - bloodline notwithstanding - into his arms. "You look almost good enough to eat!" he declared, playfully, nuzzling his nose against her neck and making a gobbling sound.

Miranda gasped in horror. "Desmond! Put her down before you pull out the hem!"

The tiny-Fae-child in his arms squealed in delight, arms and legs flailing as he tickled her neck, only to abruptly fall silent at the horrified gasp from Miranda. It didn't take a genius to work out that something was wrong, even if Lyneth didn't quite know what that something was. She went still, big eyes wide with guilt, and muttered to Des. "Put me down, please."

Des knew Miranda was just being a worrywart, as usual, but he did as Lyneth requested, setting her very carefully down on her feet. He then bowed to her like a prince might bow to a princess. "Your majesty, I am at your service," he said, going down on one knee.

Miranda rolled her eyes at the pair of them and looked to Piper. "Is he always like that?"

The silly play-acting might have seemed a little over the top to Miranda, but it worked a charm on Lyneth. After all, Des could spot the telltale signs that the little girl felt she was being scolded, and he knew, like Piper, that Lyneth took such scoldings far too much to heart.

As father and daughter giggled and played, Piper turned her grin onto Miranda. "More often than you'd think," she smiled warmly. "Just be grateful he didn't bring Loki in with him."

"Loki?" Miranda queried, wondering who that was, before remembering that was the name of Piper's dog. "Oh! I'm not sure Andy would appreciate the company," she remarked, referring to her very lazy, very territorial cat. She turned back to Lyneth, hands on her hips and smiled down at her. "Now, I do believe I promised someone ice cream."

Desmond arched a brow up at Miranda before looking questioningly to Piper, unsure if ice cream was such a good idea.

"Choklit ice cream," Lyneth corrected, easily distracted from the silly game with Des by the promise of a treat. Piper cleared her throat, and the little girl blushed. "Oops. Um ....Yes, please, Miranda, thank you?" Big turquoise eyes batted up at Miranda, even as Piper chuckled.

"Better," she told her daughter. "But you have to change out of your dress and back into your own clothes before you can have it." She met Des' inquiring look, smiling reassuringly. She knew Lyneth's capacity for ice cream better than most - a little would go a long way.

"Dress first, then ice cream," Miranda promised, offering the little girl a hand so she could lead her away to the dressing room to chance, giving her parents a few minutes respite to talk and giving her a chance to get to know the little thing better without Piper or Desmond interfering.

Beaming cheerfully, Lyneth tucked her tiny hand into Miranda's, allowing herself to be led away from her parents as she nattered on at her own pace, defying anyone to be able to keep up with her. The little girl's head was filled with weddings and pretty dresses, which was no doubt helping Piper and Des get on top of Christmas without a certain someone enlisting her army of fairies to ferret out her presents ahead of schedule.

Desmond watched Miranda lead Lyneth away before turning back to Piper with a worried expression on his face. "Do you really think ice cream is a good idea?" he asked. He was handling this parenting thing pretty well, apart from over-worrying a little too much at times.

"She's earned it this afternoon," Piper assured him, taking her eyes off the closing door to look up at Des with a warm smile. "And besides, Miranda is a mother. She won't give Lynnie more than one or two scoops, and that's enough." She reached up to tweak his nose fondly. "How about you? Survived training with a man almost twice your age today?"

Desmond rolled his eyes, the threat of Lyneth getting sick on too much ice cream forgotten for the moment at the change of subject. "Oh, God. I'm aching in places I didn't know had muscles." All the hard work was starting to pay off though, and Piper had probably noticed that her future husband's body was starting to make the transformation, muscles slowly hardening and becoming more sculpted.

His fiancee laughed softly, remembering the wobbly mess he'd been after his first session with Rufus. Des had been incredulous that the man hadn't even been out of breath by the end of that first few hours, but slowly, his own fitness level was rising to match that of the Watcher. Piper grinned, leaning into her achey lawyer. "Need me to get the massage oils out again?" she offered cheekily.

Des caught her around the waist and pulled her close, grinning down at her, despite the aching muscles. The workouts were getting a little easier, but he hadn't yet reached his peak. Rufus was a hard taskmaster and knowing Des needed to get in shape fairly quickly, he gave him no quarter. "I think you are enjoying this a little too much," Desmond accused playfully, one finger tapping her nose.

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:07 EST
"Of course I am," she admitted with a certain amount of glee - yet another thing Lyneth had learned from her mother. "I get to tease you about not being able to keep up with a man in his mid-fifties, and I get to enjoy the new muscles that keep popping up to say hello every week. What's not to enjoy?"

"I used to think I was in pretty good shape until I started training with Rufus. That man is brutal!" He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled warmly, changing the subject again. "So, how did things go with your fitting" Do I get a sneak peek" It looks like Lyneth and Miranda are getting along well."

"Just hope he doesn't bring his Slayer in to show you how out of shape he is," Piper chuckled teasingly, her expression lightening even further as he kissed her nose. "The fitting" Went very well, actually, although I'm glad I brought the shoes with me this time. That hem is going to give me a few problems until I master walking in the thing. And no, you do not get a sneak peek. It's awfully bad luck, you know."

"I'm not sure I believe in that sort of thing," he remarked, but didn't press the matter. It could be argued that up until now, luck had definitely been on their side and neither wanted to push that luck, but Desmond was a lawyer and didn't really think that way. He was logical and practical, though he'd had to open his mind upon coming to Rhy'Din and accept that magic was not just something for fairytales. Between them, Desmond - who only a short year before had been a confirmed and very eligible bachelor - seemed the least nervous about the idea of getting married. What a difference one year made. "Can I get a sneak peek at something else then?" he asked, rather cheekily.

Her eyes narrowed with playful suspicion at his cheeky request, lips curving in a freshly teasing smile. "Well, all right," she conceded, without really knowing what he was referring to. She could guess, though. "But you know it gives me hiccups."

He laughed at her remark, assuming she had completely misunderstood him. "You're adorable, you know that?" But of course, she was. Where else would Lyneth have gotten it from' Certainly not from her birth father. Des touched his lips to hers in a fond kiss. No matter how tired or achey he might be, being with Piper and Lyneth always seemed to invigorate him.

His kiss found her giggling, though that eased off as she curled her arms around him tenderly. It really was remarkable the difference a year could make. Before Des had come into her life, Piper had really only smiled for Lyneth and meant it. Now, she barely seemed to get through an hour without a laugh or a true smile, the joy filtered back into her soul by the presence of a man who loved her, who loved her daughter, and who had made it his mission in life to make them both happy. And in just a few short weeks, that man would be her husband. Her smile reappeared as she thought of the surprise that was waiting for him on their wedding day, breaking the kiss with a grin. "So what, dare I ask, is the plan for the evening, Mr Granger?"

"Getting a certain someone to bed on time, so I can rut the hell out of her mother?" he teased, nudging her neck with his nose, followed by a brief kiss. He was mostly teasing, but not entirely. He loved every minute of the time he spent with both mother and daughter and he loved each one equally, though differently. In all truth, it was Lyneth who had first charmed him, but it was Piper he was marrying and Piper he'd fallen in love with.

"Oh, because that's what every woman wants to hear," his fiancee laughed, enjoying the warmth that they had cultivated over the past months to get to this point. She dropped her voice into a lower register, producing a truly awful impression of his accent. "Hey, baby, wanna rut?"

He smirked as she attempted to mimic his New York accent. "Hmm, don't mind if I do," he answered her question - or his own - with a grin, tipping her backwards and leaning over to give her a toe-curling kiss, those newly-sculpted muscles of his having no problem holding her there without dropping her.

The squeak that erupted from her at suddenly having her artificial horizon skewed was quickly swallowed up in his kiss, her arms wrapped around his neck to let her fingers play through his hair as she put herself entirely in his hands. After all, the worst that could happen was that they'd both end up on the floor, right"

It was taking a lot of dedication and hard work to get his body in shape, and though he wasn't doing it to for the wow factor he got from her every now and then, it was a nice bonus. He kissed her quite thoroughly before pulling her upright, a bit of a smug grin on his face at his new-found strength and skills. "I think my muscles are growing muscles."

Well, he'd certainly gotten the wow factor from her this time. Drawn back onto her feet once again, it took a moment or two for Piper to blink her eyes open, her expression more than pleasantly surprised by how buff he was getting. At this rate, she was going to have to start making an effort to raise her own fitness level, or their bedroom antics were going to be entirely too one-sided to be fair. Her hand spanned his bicep, squeezing with teasing thoughtfulness. "Are they going to have little muscle babies, too?"

"The only one around here who's gonna be having any babies is you," he replied, smiling and following that up with another kiss. He wasn't sure how many babies, and it didn't really matter. At least one child of their own had been foretold to them, but he wasn't really in any hurry. He was enjoying his little family just the way it was, and he loved Lyneth like his own. Adding more children to the mix was just a bonus, in his opinion. "I sort of promised a certain person a game of Candyland tonight, so long as there's no real candy involved."

Piper chuckled once more, more than happy to submit to however many kisses he wanted to give her. He was unusually affectionate today, which was probably a side-effect of the nerves for the upcoming wedding, but Piper was determined not to stress herself out about that day until Christmas was out of the way. "Oh, don't worry about candy," she assured him. "A certain person has been looking forward to playing with you all day, and is about to get all the sweet treat she's allowed for the day from an over-indulgent auntie."

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:08 EST
"I was thinking pizza and maybe a little walk in the park. What do you think?" he asked. It had turned into a winter wonderland outside almost overnight, and it was no big secret that Des loved the snow. Of course, there wasn't much Desmond didn't enjoy these days, so long as he was was surrounded by his two girls.

"I think that's a lovely idea," Piper agreed, nodding. It would depend on dropping home quickly to grab the girls' coats, but that was a very quick side-trip in itself, and one they'd made often enough before to have perfected the art of getting in and out without being ambushed by fairies. She glanced toward the closed door to the dressing room, wondering how Miranda was coping with the hyperactive child in there with her. "I almost can't believe she's two. Everything has changed so much for the better in just one year."

Desmond smiled, knowing without Piper having to say it that a good part of that change was because of him. Things could have just as easily turned out badly. It was almost a year since he'd been shot; in all truth, if it hadn't been for Lyneth, he might not have survived. Everything had changed in the last year, and not just for her and Lyneth, but for him, too. His entire world and life had changed, almost in an instant. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Pip," he told her, kissing her softly again, enjoying the few minutes they had alone before the little whirlwind that was their daughter rejoined them.

That little whirlwind was in a ridiculously good mood as she all but dragged Miranda back out of the dressing room, her boots making obvious thumps against the floor. "Daddy, why're you suckin' Mummy's face?" she asked, with her usual lack of any kind of subtlety, tugging on Miranda's hand as she looked up at her auntie. "Why's Daddy suckin' Mummy's face like you do with Uncle Rufus, an' Bef'ny does with Jason?"

Desmond smirked against Piper's lips as Lyneth interrupted the smooching. He knew Lyneth more than likely already knew the answer to that question, at least, in theory, but Miranda didn't know Lyneth the way Desmond and Piper did. She didn't know Lyneth was a miniature adult mostly masquerading as a child. "You'll find out when you're older," Miranda replied, in typical adult fashion as she steered the little girl toward the kitchen. "Would you two like to join us for ice cream, or are you too busy sucking face?" she asked the other pair, as innocently and straight-faced as she could manage.

Laughing, Piper pulled away, leveling a look onto her cheeky daughter that promised they were going to have words later about playing up the innocent ignorance for an unsuspecting audience. Lyneth just grinned back at her, hugging Miranda's hand happily, secure in the knowledge that she wasn't going to be called out on pretending to be this much of a child in front of a blissfully unknowing relative. Piper rolled her eyes, glancing at Des. "I think we can manage ice cream instead of face sucking for now," she agreed cheerfully. "What do you think, Mr Achey?"

"I think we are raising a con artist," Desmond remarked quietly, not really answering Piper's question, but referring to Lyneth's con job on Miranda and any other unsuspecting adult who was subject to her charms, self not included. He winced a little when Piper addressed him that way, hoping Lyneth didn't bring up Mr. Winkie in Miranda's presence, or he might never hear the end of it. "Exnay on the Acheyday," he whispered beneath his breath.

So much for his hopes. "Has you hurt Mr Winkie, Daddy?" an innocent little voice inquired, and Piper gave up trying to keep a straight face. She burst out laughing, knowing that eventually everyone in the family was going to be intimately aware of the nickname her daughter had plastered onto Des' most precious piece of anatomy.

Desmond groaned, wondering if Lyneth could secretly read minds. "No, but if someone wants to play Candyland later, they are not going to mention that again," he warned her, only partly teasing. Of course, that particular threat would only hold water for a few hours. Once she had what she wanted, all bets were off, but learning how to bargain seemed to be a part of parenting. The important thing was knowing which things could be bargained and which could not. He tossed a wink at Piper and let go of her to go chasing after Lyneth, roaring like a dinosaur to chase her into the kitchen, leaving Miranda standing there a little flabbergasted.

"Mr. Winkie?" she echoed, looking curiously to Piper. "Is that what I think it is?"

As the squealing, roaring pair disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, Piper grinned after them, lifting her gaze back to Miranda when the older woman posed her question. The smile on Piper's face was answer enough, but she chose to give an actual response as well. "Yes, it probably is," she nodded cheerfully. "I think she's going out of her way to discuss Mr Winkie with every single Granger she meets right now."

Miranda chuckled. "Oh, god....Poor Desmond. Do I even want to know how she knows about, uh, the one eyed monster?" Right then and there, she decided that if she ever asked the little girl to sleep over - and she was considering it - she'd have to be extra careful to make sure Rufus kept his pants on the entire time.

"Oh, she knelt on it the first morning after Des stayed over," Piper explained, scratching her neck as she spoke. It was difficult not to chuckle at that memory. "And she's pretty observant. Once she figured out that Des is just a big boy, she started asking the boys at school about themselves. I had a couple of letters from the teachers about teaching her when it is inappropriate to con little boys into dropping their trousers."

"Good lord, Piper," Miranda replied, rolling her eyes. "Good luck with that one when she becomes a teenager." The woman softened a little as she looked on the younger woman, having been partly responsible for the pairing of Desmond and Piper. If it hadn't been for her pestering of Desmond, he might never have come to Rhy'Din and hence, never have met Piper. She was truly happy to see them both so happy together. She gave the younger woman an impromptu and rather motherly hug. "I'm so happy for you, Piper. I'm glad things have worked out between you and Desmond. You won't find a better man than him."

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:09 EST
Piper's smile was a little secretive as Miranda wished her luck for the teenaged years, pretty sure that by the time Lyneth decided to be a teenager, she would already be familiar with what was and wasn't appropriate for her age bracket. Still, the hug startled her, still a little awkward around the majority of the Grangers, and touched when they offered her any gesture of welcome or affection. "Thank you, Miranda," she murmured in answer, hugging the other woman in return. "For everything. I know I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't for you."

"Nonsense, dear," Miranda replied, smiling as she let the young woman go. Piper was very nearly the same age as her Bethany, and it made Miranda very happy that the two of them were getting on so well together. Piper had been lonely long enough, and Miranda had made it her personal business to make sure she was lonely no longer. "You just needed a push in the right direction, and to be honest, so did Desmond."

Piper sighed softly, appreciating everything Miranda had done for them in the past year. She felt comfortable enough with the woman to share the one thing she had been keeping from Des, too. "Miranda ....dreams on Rhy'Din. Do they come true" I mean, the recurring ones."

Miranda arched a brow at the question, as unexpected as it was. There was much giggling coming from the kitchen, but she trusted Desmond had things - or rather, Lyneth - well in hand. "What sort of dreams, Piper" Good dreams or bad dreams?"

"Oh, this one is a bad dream," Piper nodded, hugging her arms about herself. She lowered her voice, just in case Little Miss Super Hearing was listening in while she played. "I keep ....I keep waking up with this horrible sinking feeling that Ollie's back," she confessed softly. "I know it's not true, but I can't help being afraid of what might happen if he did just suddenly reappear. Even after everything he did to us, I feel guilty for having our marriage annulled in his absence. The last thing I want is to hurt anyone, but that sense of anxiety over not knowing exactly what happened ....it won't go away."

Miranda frowned thoughtfully, as she considered Piper's confession. While Oliver was a Granger, so was Desmond, and it was fairly obvious which of the two held her love and loyalty. "Well," she started, "let me ask you this....If, by some strange quirk of fate, Oliver ever does manage to show his face again, what would your reaction be?"

"Before or after I punch him?" From the soft-spoken, gentle-mannered Piper, the words were a surprise in themselves. What added to that surprise was the sheer amount of vehement anger fueling the promise of bodily harm to her ex-husband if he dared to show his face to her again. "I can't forgive him for what he did, and I never will. I don't want him anywhere near my daughter again."

"Piper," Miranda started again, more gently this time, as she reached for her hand. "You're in love and about to get married. You have a beautiful daughter and a man who adores you both. Whether Ollie comes back or not, that's not going to change, unless you want it to change. Stop worrying about the past. No one can hurt you unless you let them." She gave the younger woman's hand a pat, hoping she'd helped a little. "Come on, before the two of them gorge themselves on ice cream."

Piper sighed softly, smiling as she curled both her hands about Miranda's, more reassured by the other woman's offered wisdom than she might have seemed. "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference," she murmured, the old words of a prayer her parents had spent much of her adolescence quoting at each other over her head coming easily to her lips. She met Miranda's gaze. "Thank you. I needed to tell someone that." A clang from the kitchen suggested that Des and Lyneth had finally reached the point where they were about to spoon out the ice cream, which was the point where Piper probably needed to be at least visible to prevent them from getting over-excited with their portioning. "After you. You're the lady of the house, after all."

Miranda laughed, eyes sparkling with amusement, though she had taken Piper's confession seriously. She really didn't think the young woman had anything to worry about. Even if Ollie did return, that ship had already sailed. Miranda couldn't see anyone or anything managing to come between Desmond and Piper, and not for the first or last time, she wondered if she missed her calling as a matchmaker. "Don't worry, sweetheart. You're family now, and family takes care of each other." He brushed a motherly kiss against her cheek and drew her by the hand toward the kitchen, knowing Desmond could be as much a child as Lyneth, at times.

"Piper!" a decidedly male voice called from the kitchen. "Come tell our daughter that two scoops is plenty!" There was no mistaking the pronoun there - our daughter, not solely hers.

"Why do I have to be the bad parent?" Piper called back, her complaining tone completely undermined by the grin on her face as she walked with Miranda into the kitchen in time to catch Lyneth just about to put her entire hand into the carton of ice cream. "Lyneth Katherine, if you do that, you will never get ice cream again," she informed her daughter quite seriously, despite her smile.

Lyneth jumped, whipping her hands behind her back, and making a creditable attempt at a contrite expression. "Mummy, Daddy's cheating," the tiny girl declared, more than prepared to throw Des under the bus if it got her out of trouble, like any child. "He said two scoops, an' I got two scoops, an' then he licked the spoon!"

"Oh, you little imp!" Desmond exclaimed, a shocked look on his face at Lyneth's attempt to sidetrack and derail her mother's scolding. Okay, so maybe he did lick the spoon, but what did that have to do with the cost of tea in China? Or something like that. "Don't make me pull the lawyer card and cross examine you, missy!" He opened a drawer and pulled out a fresh spoon that didn't have any boy germs on it yet and held it out to Lyneth. "Two scoops. Any more than that and you'll make yourself sick," he warned. And really, no one wanted a sick Lyneth.

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:10 EST
"You two are going to give me gray hair before I'm thirty," Piper sighed theatrically, rolling her eyes as she moved to take the spoon before Lyneth could get her hand on it. She'd spotted how the little girl was eating too much ice cream in one sitting - apparently Des hadn't tied together just how much those little hands could hold above and beyond the two scoops she'd been told she was allowed. "Where's your bowl, mischief?"

"I did notice one the other day," Des remarked, tossing Lyneth a wink, but Miranda wasn't buying it. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. Piper is too young to be going gray." She opened the cupboard and pulled out two more bowls, one for herself and one for Piper. A big kid herself, she wasn't about to be left out of eating ice cream.

As a snickering Lyneth held up her bowl for Piper to drop a couple of scoops of ice cream into it, her mother stuck her tongue out at Des for his teasing agreement that she was going to get old before her time living with the pair of them. "You are very lucky I love you, Desmond Granger," she informed him, putting the spoon into Lyneth's bowl. "At the table, messy pup. Do you need a towel?"

Lyneth considered the bowl for a moment before raising her head and nodding, turning her eyes onto Miranda. "Auntie M'anda, can I has a towel to keep me from getting all sticky, please?"

"You most certainly may, my darling," Miranda replied, snatching up a towel and handing it to Piper, after narrowing her eyes at Desmond and shaking her head meaningfully to hint that he should probably not pursue that line of teasing, if he knew what was good for him.

Desmond, being the bright man that he was, took the hint and moved over to wind an arm around Piper's shoulders and brush a kiss against her forehead, just because. "You're right. I am lucky," he told her quietly.

Momentarily stalled from swathing Lyneth in the towel Miranda had handed to her, Piper smiled as Des kissed her forehead fondly, turning her head to answer that gesture of affection with a kiss of her own, brushed against the line of his jaw. "And completely wrapped around that little bundle of mischief's finger," she added with a grin, gently disentangling herself to heave her daughter up into a seat at the kitchen table and wrap the towel around her neck and shoulders.

"Guilty as charged," Des replied with a grin.

"You two are as bad as teenagers," Miranda said, playfully making a face at Lyneth at all the smooching that was going on. She really didn't mind at all; in fact, she was overjoyed that Des and Piper were happy and comfortable enough with each other and with said company to show their affection openly. "Oh!" she exclaimed, as a thought popped into her head. "I almost forgot! I brought you something from Bali!" She dashed out of the room to search for whatever that something was.

"And you only yourself to blame for that," Piper laughed at Miranda's mild complaint, pushing Lyneth snug to the table before turning back to the ice cream to serve out two more bowls. Despite giggling at Miranda's comment and face-pulling, Lyneth was quickly absorbed in her ice cream, mashing it messily with her spoon before beginning the sticky task of spooning it into her mouth, for once with no additional comments to make on her parents' behavior.

"I can be stern when I need to be," Desmond remarked, only slightly defensively. He drew his brows down and set his hands on his hips to glare over at Piper in a mock expression of sternness. He then turned to Lyneth with that same grumpy expression and wagged a finger at her. "You eat all your ice cream, little girl, or it's late to bed with you."

What he got in answer to that topsy-turvy declaration was a grin that would have been far more attractive if the mouth showing it wasn't full of ice cream in that moment. Lyneth giggled through her mouthful, licking her lips as she waggled her spoon back at him. "You eat all your ice cream, grumpy man, or Mummy won't read you a bedtime story," she countered cheerfully, to the musical accompaniment of her mother's laughter.

"She's got you there, Daddykins," Piper teased affectionately, returning the carton of ice cream to the freezer before moving to join Lyneth at the table.

"Oh really' And just what kind of bedtime story are you going to read me, Mummykins?" Des asked with a smirk, going along with the ruse as he took a seat at the table and pulled his own bowl of ice cream close. He wasn't sure where Miranda had rushed off to, but he assumed she'd be back before long.

"Oh, I was thinking maybe you'd like the one about the horse who got himself in a rut," Piper said innocently, flickering a glance to Lyneth as she smirked. She raised her spoon to her mouth to lick the contents from it, blue eyes teasing Des over the top quite deliberately.

Next to her, Lyneth looked up briefly. "Is that one of mine?" she asked a little indistinctly, reassured when Piper shook her head.

"No, sweetie," her mother promised. "It's a special book for daddies when they are very good."

"I assume it has a happy ending," he said as he scooped up a spoonful of ice cream of his own, trying to keep the conversation as over Lyneth's head as possible. "What about when Daddies are very bad?" he teased as he licked his spoon clean, making a show of licking both sides, for Piper's benefit.

"Oh, when daddies are very bad, there's the one about the dog who had his own house," Piper grinned back at Des, thoroughly enjoying the teasing. It had taken a little while, but finally they had come up with this method of having slightly more adult conversations over Lyneth's head without her wanting to join in.

"I hope I never have to hear that one!" he said, though he was pretty confident he wouldn't. He and Piper rarely, if ever, argued. Most of the kinks in their relationship had been ironed out over the last year or so. "Lyneth, did you start making your Christmas list yet?" he asked, changing the subject so that Lyneth wouldn't start feeling left out.

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:10 EST
The tiny girl lifted her head from her intense scrutiny of her spoon, wearing more of the chocolate ice cream than she had managed to eat so far, but obviously enjoying herself anyway. "I maded one, but Mummy said if I ask Father Christmas for what I put on it, I'll prob'ly be disappointed, 'cos we don't have enough space in our house an' he doesn't want to make us all crowded," she offered. "I got to make it shorter."

Desmond took this in stride, not too terribly surprised by her answer. This was his first Christmas as part of the little trio, and he was almost as excited as Lyneth to be part of it. "Of all the things on your list, what do you want most?" he asked, hoping it wasn't a pony.

Lyneth considered this for a long moment, her little face screwed up with fierce concentration as she examined her mental list of what she wanted most for Christmas. "A baby," she said finally, and blinked as Piper choked on her mouthful, groping for a napkin before she spewed half-eaten ice cream across the table.

Des arched a brow, thankfully taking Lyneth's answer a little more in stride and not choking the way Piper had. He reached over to pat Piper on the back while he questioned Lyneth further. "You mean a little brother or sister?" he asked, assuming Lyneth didn't want a baby of her own. She was obviously far too young for that, but with Lyneth, you never knew what was going through her head.

Miranda chose just that moment to return, a small package in her hands. "Who's having a baby?" she asked, before gasping and glancing at Piper, who was the only person in the room capable of such a thing. "Piper Davidson! Don't you dare. Not until after the wedding!"

The little girl nodded, watching curiously as her mother spluttered and wiped her mouth clean. "'Cos Auntie Vicki's havin' a baby, an' Caroline is havin' a baby, an' Uncle Jon's friend is havin' a baby, an' I like babies, an' I want one to play with all the time."

Miranda's return marked the momentary cessation of that hopeful enthusiasm as Piper shook her head at the older woman. "No, not before the wedding," she promised, glancing at Des with a faint chuckle. "Maybe you should tell Daddy something else from your list, baby girl?"

Des was having a hard time hiding the smirk from his face at the banter between mother and daughter and now aunt, as well. "A baby isn't something Father Christmas can put in your stocking, Lyneth. What else would you like?" he asked, echoing Piper.

Miranda took a seat at the table, but said nothing, her thoughts still turning on the subject of babies. The Granger family was certainly growing by leaps and bounds lately, which had made Humphrey a very happy man in his old age.

"A Kneazle," was the next thing Lyneth came up with, eying Des with quiet suspicion. She had a feeling that this, too, was beyond the bounds of their ability to provide, but it was always worth putting things out there, just in case.

Piper, on the other hand, was smiling at Miranda reassuringly. "I promise, no expanding waistline until after the wedding," she assured the older woman in a quiet voice, confident that Miranda knew just why it had to wait. After all, Rufus must have told her by now.

"I'm sorry..." Des apologized, looking more than a little puzzled. "A what?" he asked, clearly never having heard of one of those before and clearly never having read Harry Potter. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that here, at the center of the Nexus, anything was possible, and that meant anything.

As for Miranda, she looked a little mollified by Piper's reassurance, her concern more for Piper's waistline and ability to fit into her wedding dress than anything else.

Lyneth frowned at Des as though he was being particularly dense. She hadn't actually had Harry Potter read to her, but she had watched three of the movies, and through conversations with other kids, had learned a fair amount about the fictional universe. "It's like a cat, but it's all clever and bushy and Hermioninny in the Harry Pottits books has a cat what is half a Kneazle, an' he's loads of fun," she offered up, earning herself a vaguely confused glance from her mother in the process.

"Harry..." Des started, furrowing his brows as he tried to sort out what she was talking about exactly.

Miranda beat him to it with a grin, proud to know something Des didn't. "Harry Potter," she said correcting Lyneth, with a cluck of her tongue at Des. "You need to brush up on your children's fiction, Desmond," she teased, reaching over to dip her finger in his bowl of ice cream and lick it from her finger with a wink at Lyneth.

"Oh, so Hermioninny would be Hermione, then," Piper made the logical leap as Miranda inserted the correct pronunciation for them, smiling as Lyneth giggled at the older woman's pilfering of Des' ice cream.

"Mummy says that it's dirty puttin' fingers in food," she informed Miranda rather imperiously.

"Only if your fingers are dirty," Miranda replied, hoping she wasn't undermining Piper's mothering with her mischief, but she was quick to change the subject. "I brought you something back from Bali," she said, reaching around behind her to pull out a small package and slide it across the table. It was small but heavy and covered in flowery pink wrapping paper.

"For me?" Lyneth's unnatural turquoise eyes opened wide with sweet excitement at the prospect of an unexpected present, her body turning toward Des in an unspoken request to be cleaned up so she could open the wrapped gift without getting it sticky. For a child who excelled at playing in the mud, she was a little fastidious about being clean.

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:11 EST
Des blinked as Lyneth turned toward him with an expectant look on her face. "Hm' Oh!" He finished off his last scoop of ice cream and pushed away from the table to get a wet cloth with which to clean the excess of chocolate ice cream from Lyneth's face and hands.

"For you," Miranda confirmed with a smile, waiting until Des had her cleaned up before handing over the little prezzie.

"You're going to spoil her," Piper warned with a smile, knowing how hard it was not to indulge the tiny girl whenever the mood struck.

With clean hands and a freshly wiped face, Lyneth made a grab for the present, choosing not to return to her own seat to open it, but to climb up into Miranda's lap. Settled comfortably, she tugged at the paper until it came away, tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she examined what she had been given.

The package made something of a strange, not quite jingly sound as Lyneth worked to unwrap it, like there was something inside there that was made of pieces. When she finally got the wrapper off, what she found was a plastic jar filled with all sorts of shells Miranda and Rufus had painstakingly collected during their many walks along the beach. Miranda wasn't sure why, but of everyone she knew, somehow she thought Lyneth might appreciate such a gift best.

The paper, pretty though it was, was instantly forgotten as soon as the jar was uncovered. Lyneth had never actually been to the beach, and she wasn't entirely sure what shells were, but just being given something pretty that jingled was enough to make her beam happily.

"Oh, wow, Lynnie," Piper exclaimed warmly as the jar was held out for them to see. "All those seashells! What do you say?"

Grinning as she shook the jar, Lyneth turned her happy face up toward Miranda. "Thank you, M'anda."

"They aren't meant to stay in the jar, Lyneth, but wait until you get home to open it up. Each one is a little bit different, beautiful in its own way. There are lots of things you can do with them. It just takes a little imagination and creativity, or you can just leave them in the jar for safekeeping." Miranda wasn't sure if it was a very good gift for one so young, but she had wanted to share some of the hoard they'd collected and had thought of Lyneth. "You're very welcome, sweetheart," Miranda replied, smooching the little girl's cheek lightly and whispering, "Love you."

"Love you," Lyneth echoed contentedly, hugging her spoils as she cuddled into Miranda's arms. "Can I take my pretty dress home too?" she asked, almost as an after-thought, not quite yet on board with the fact that she wasn't going to be allowed to take the dress home until after the wedding.

"Not yet, sweetheart. I still have to hem it, but soon!" Miranda replied, hoping that would satisfy her for a little while. There were only a few more weeks until the wedding, and then she could wear that dress all her heart desired. "Oh! Would you like to come and pick something out to bring home" I have some leftover lace and things you might like."

Desmond had turned quiet as he cleared the ice cream bowls and mess from the table, smiling a little at the interaction between Miranda and Lyneth, seeing a side of Miranda he had never seen before and wondering just how she'd managed to keep Beth a secret for so long.

"Can I?" The big eyes were back, wide and hopeful as Lyneth looked expectantly toward her mother.

Piper knew they were pushing it a little with the indulgences today, but to be honest, she was in a pretty good mood, and dealing with a spoilt Lyneth was easier when she had new things to distract herself with. Chuckling, she conceded. "All right," she allowed, "but not too much. You don't have so much room you can afford to fill it all up before Christmas."

Lyneth beamed, bouncing up and down on Miranda's lap as she cheered. "Thank you!"

Miranda beamed back, just as pleased to make the little girl happy as the little girl was herself. She set Lyneth on the floor and rose to her feet, reaching for Lyneth's hand to lead her toward her studio. She had managed to get most of her things moved over from New York, but there was still a lot of organizing that needed to be done. The house, like her life, seemed to be in a state of change as she slowly got accustomed to being married. "We won't be long," she promised as she led Lyneth off, once again leaving her parents alone for the moment.

As Lyneth toddled off at Miranda's side, Piper turned her face back toward Des, joining him in the clean up with a gentle nudge of shoulder to shoulder. "That woman is almost as whipped as we are," she commented laughingly.

"She's like her mother," Des said smiling as Piper joined him. "She's easy to love." If they weren't careful, they were going to getting caught smooching in the kitchen again. "So, what do you think of Lyneth's Christmas list?" he asked, with a slightly amused gleam in his blue eyes.

"I think we're getting a Kneazle, that's what I think," she laughed, rolling her eyes as she leaned against his side. "The baby thing, that can wait. But I am rather hoping she doesn't know that the Kneazle she made friends with at the market a few days ago is already bought and paid for." She winked at him cheekily. "A lovely surprise for you - another animal that will use you for a pillow."

"You're not serious. We already have a dog....and a houseful of....well, you know..." He tossed a glance in the direction Miranda and Lyneth had gone in hopes that neither would overhear him. "Wait....You already bought it?" he asked, eyes wide. "What if....what if Loki decided to use it for a chew toy?"

"I wouldn't have bought him if I thought there was any possibility he wouldn't fit into the household," she assured him, twisting to face him. "Loki isn't stupid enough to pick a fight with him. A Kneazle is a very large feline creature, but they're not cats. They're highly intelligent, very loyal to whoever they choose to go with - which is why this particular one is already bought and paid for, because he took a liking to Lynnie as soon as they clapped eyes on each other. But more importantly, love ....Kneazles can tell when a person isn't what they seem. Straight up. They can't be deceived, at all. It's just another layer of protection, in a way."

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:12 EST
He absorbed that quietly, accepting her judgement, a little disconcerted to know there were still some things about Rhy'Din that he didn't know about, including whatever a Kneazle was. "Okay, so if these things are real, what else is real" I mean, they're just something someone made up for a kid's book, right?"

"On your world, maybe." Piper winced, knowing that Des was still having trouble accepting that anything was possible on Rhy'Din. "Sweetheart, on my world, magic doesn't exist at all. There aren't even fairytales on the world I grew up on. And yet here, magic is everywhere, and so is technology, and all these different races I had never heard of. If Rhy'Din is the hub of everything ever created, then yes, anything that has ever been conceived of in what you consider to be fiction must have a place here."

"I know that, but..." Des frowned, unsure he wanted to have this conversation here. He didn't really want either Lyneth or Piper overhearing him and getting the wrong - or maybe the right - idea. He'd spent enough time in Rhy'Din to have seen a strange thing or two, but the last few months had been busy with the Nicoletti trial and he hadn't really had time to dig that deeply into all the weirdness that was Rhy'Din. "When you say everything, do you mean everything everything" Or just some things everything?"

"I mean everything everything, love," she told him gently, smoothing her hands against his sides as she looked up at him. Of course, for Piper, there was less everything to concern her - the wild and fantastical was something she'd had no exposure to before becoming pregnant, and therefore didn't have as vast an imagination as Des. "Why, does that change things?"

"No, it's just....I can understand there being magic. I can understand myths and legends having some basis in reality. What I can't understand is where the line is drawn. If something from a kid's book is real, what else is real" I mean....Is Bugs Bunny real" Is..." He lowered his voice so that only she could hear his next question. "Is Santa Claus real?"

She smiled faintly, lowering her voice with his. "There are several different incarnations of the figure you call Santa Claus," she told him softly. "Lyneth met Kris Kringle last year, and I understand that there is a Santa Claus, a P're No"l, a Father Christmas, and a St. Nicholas. I don't know how many others there might be, but we did find a couple of presents last year that no one had bought."

"Okay, so the jolly old elf is real....In all his incarnations. What about Bugs Bunny' Hell, what about Voldemort' Is he real" And don't tell me Harry Potter already vanquished him!" No, he hadn't read the books or seen the movies, but everyone knew that. "Is Frosty the Snowman real" What about, oh, I don't know....Peter Pan?"

Blue eyes widening at what appeared to be a certain amount of irritated panic beginning to stream off her fiance, Piper leaned back a little, at a loss as to how she could possibly set his mind at ease. "I ....I don't know what any of those are," she admitted. "Apart from Voldemort, and as far as I know, he doesn't exist here."

He was a lawyer, after all. It wasn't easy for someone like him to accept all of this at face value. He knew what he'd seen, and he had come to believe in the unbelievable, the unprovable. He wasn't feeling panic exactly, and for a lawyer, he had a pretty open mind, but he was going to have to rethink some of what he'd taken for granted here. Was it any wonder Rufus was a Watcher" He knew what the man did for a living, but he hadn't really thought about it that hard before. He decided this was something he needed to discuss with Rufus in further detail, but for now, he didn't want to alarm Piper with his worries. "It looks like I have more reading to do."

She frowned worriedly as he seemed to draw all that panic inward, squashing it down until it had no bearing on his appearance. "Are you sure?" she asked him softly. "I didn't realize you weren't aware of just what this place this. I thought you knew, especially since you've been training with Rufus. I don't entirely understand what a Watcher is, but apparently it involves knowing a lot about the things this place has in droves."

"I did and I didn't. I mean, I've been pretty busy with the trial and..." And with a dozen other things, not the least of which was Piper and Lyneth. And getting to know a brother and two sisters he hadn't known existed, along with the rest of his family; advising Humphrey and Caroline on legal matters; not to mention, training with Rufus to prepare himself for the inevitable confrontation with the Fae. "Don't worry, Piper. I'll get used to it." He offered her a reassuring smile and a kiss on the cheek. He had promised not to keep any secrets from her, and so far, he'd kept his promise. This wasn't a secret really; he couldn't very well tell her what he didn't entirely understand himself.

She stayed close to him, nose to nose, enjoying the quiet while Miranda was wrangling Lyneth. "It doesn't matter what is here or what isn't," she said softly. "It doesn't change the fact that I love you, and in just over a month, we are going to be married. We're in this together, whatever happens."

"No, it doesn't change a thing. It doesn't change how I feel about you or Lyneth. It doesn't change that fact that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I just need to understand this place if I am going to be part of it. That's all." He kissed her again, softer this time, full of love and affection.

She smiled as he kissed her, nuzzling close as the sound of a key in a lock attempted to make itself known. It wasn't enough of a warning, however, to prevent Rufus from walking in on their kisses. "Oh, good grief, man," Miranda's husband laughed, setting grocery bags down on the kitchen counter. "Let your body recover a little before you start putting it to fresh uses."

Desmond smirked against Piper's lips upon hearing Rufus' remark when he stepped in the door. "There's always room for dessert, Rufus," he countered, though he wasn't really talking about food. "So, when do you and Miranda want to volunteer to babysit?" he asked, his arms remaining wrapped around Piper's waist. "Lyneth wants a baby sister or brother, and we need some practice."

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:12 EST
"That is something you will have to take up with my wife," Rufus neatly side-stepped answering that question with a charming smile, nodding to Piper in greeting. "Although your wedding night might be worth investigating babysitting possibilities for." As he turned to begin unpacking what he had brought home, Piper glanced up at Des, one brow raised above her smile. Rufus made a good point - having Lyneth in good hands for the wedding night guaranteed them a little privacy.

"Oh, I see who wears the pants in this house," Des remarked, with a wink at Piper. "I've got a whole family of Grangers just dying to get their hands on Lyneth, with Kaylee at the top of that list. Are you in or out?" Des pressed the man, mostly because he thought it might be good for Rufus and Miranda to share the care of a young child for a few nights, since they had never had the pleasure with one of their own.

"I'll have you know that a wise man never undermines his wife," Rufus countered the teasing remark about Miranda's pants being dominant. "At least, not in public." He chuckled at the glance that passed between the younger couple, knowing his opinion was being sought. He hadn't spent much time in Lyneth's company, to be sure, but he thought she was probably fairly easy to handle. And with Miranda around, it was doubtful he'd have to do anything in particular. "I think we could handle your little bundle of magic-infused joy for one night."

"Good! It's a date then!" Des exclaimed, smiling happily and perhaps a bit smugly.

"What's a date?" Miranda was heard asking as she led Lyneth back out into the kitchen with a small bag of scrap lace, ribbon, and other goodies.

"I believe I have just been conned into volunteering us to look after Lyneth on the wedding night," Rufus informed his wife as she came back into the kitchen, eying Des with a knowing smirk of his own. Piper snorted with laughter at the reluctant amusement on the older man's face, moving to locate her bag as Lyneth came pottering over to her with her swag bag.

"Never trust a lawyer, Rufus," Des warned with a grin as he let go of Piper so she could go in search of her bag. "Ready to go, midget?" he asked as he turned to Lyneth. "I promised you a walk in the park and it's getting late."

Miranda chuckled at the two men, relinquishing Lyneth to Des and Piper and moving over to wrap her arms around her husband's waist and smooch his cheek. "It's just one night. It'll be fun," she promised with a grin up at him.

"I will hold you to that," Rufus threatened his wife with a grin, looping his own arm about her as he leaned down to give her a kiss. "You taste of chocolate. What did I miss?"

As the older couple reconnected, the young family visiting them were busily getting themselves ready to leave them to it. Piper held her bag open as Lyneth carefully placed her bag of scraps and her jar of seashells into it, lifting a smile up at Des as he turned to her.

"Can I make snow angels?" she asked hopefully, relying on the fact that it was bath night to get her an affirmative to that request.

"If it's not too cold," Des promised, retrieving Lyneth's coat and helping her get it back on, which was always something of a project. "I was thinking maybe we'd have pizza for dinner. What do you think?" he asked as he helped her get one arm into the coat, followed by the other.

In the meantime, Miranda smiled up at Rufus at his question. "Ice cream," she replied, standing on her tip toes to shamelessly lick his lips.

"It's snow, it's s'posed to be cold!" Lyneth cackled with laughter, wriggling obligingly into her coat with Des' help. Looking up, she caught Miranda and Rufus in the act, beaming as she pointed. "Look - M'anda an' Wufust are suckin' each other's faces now!"

As Piper caught her daughter's pointing finger and pushed it down with a warning smile, Rufus leaned back from Miranda's affectionate nibbling, raising his brow as he looked down at the tiny girl giggling at them. "I think you'll find, little person, Miranda was sharing her ice cream with me."

Miranda's mouth formed a silent, "Oh," at Rufus' explanation before she burst into girlish giggles. She had always wondered what kind of a father he would have made to a small child, and though Lyneth was not their child, she had no doubt Lyneth would find her way into Rufus' heart.

As for Des, there was a method to his madness. Who better to keep Lyneth safe than the man who was training him' "That's what people do when they are in love, Lynnie," Des explained, not for the first time as he crouched down to fasten her coat.

"But you love me and you don't suck my face," Lyneth pointed out, shoulders back and nose downturned as she watched him tugging at the zipper and buttons on her coat. Piper bit her lips to keep from snickering, catching Miranda's eye for a moment before turning away, leaving the men to handle this conversation.

"If anyone tries to suck your face while you're still a small child, you should tell your parents or someone you trust," Rufus pointed out. "Love or not, some things are not appropriate."

"I love you. I'm not in love with..." Desmond broke off to frown up at Rufus. "You're about as subtle as a hand grenade there, Dr. Spock," he remarked at the man. They obviously had very different ideas about raising children, though Des had slightly more experience at it than Rufus.

"All right," Miranda declared, giving her husband a fond but warning pat on the chest and effectively ending that line of conversation. "It's time you three get going before you run out of daylight!"

Lyneth Granger

Date: 2013-11-30 19:14 EST
"I think you're right there," Piper agreed with Miranda, gently inserting herself between the two dads with a cheerful grin down at Lyneth. "We have to go home and liberate the dog so we can go on this walk of ours."

As Lyneth clapped her mittened hands excitedly, never too difficult to please, Rufus subsided under the warning offered by Miranda. He was never going to be the best with small children, but at least he hadn't gone into detail. "It sounds as though it has been a pleasure to have you," he offered, shaking Des' hand in farewell. "Let me know when you're ready to get back on the horse."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Des replied, shaking the other man's hand. He'd come too far to give up now, no matter how hard it was turning out to be. Miranda moved over to escort Piper and Lyneth toward the door and away from the men, chit chatting about the wedding as they went.

"Give it a few days," Rufus suggested as the women moved toward the front door. "You've been pushing yourself hard, yes, but too hard, and you'll pull something. That will set you right back to zero again. You're doing well, Des. Just try not to forget to enjoy your family as well as protect them, all right?"

For a moment, Des thought maybe he'd done something to offend the other man, but then he realized this was all part of it. He could have easily become obsessed with idea of protecting his family, but what good was it to be able to protect them if he didn't have time to enjoy them and love them, too' "All right. Monday then?" he asked, grateful for a few days off to spend with his little family.

Rufus nodded, glad the younger man had caught on to the subtle hint not to let the training get in the way of the reason he was training in the first place. "Monday works," he agreed, tucking an arm about Miranda's waist as they joined the women by the front door. "Have a good weekend. Oh, and happy birthday, if I do not see you before then, Desmond."

Des smiled amicably as he rejoined the women. With everything that was going on, he'd almost forgotten that he had a birthday coming up. The year had flown by. Last year at this time, he was burying his mother, and while he still missed her, coming here had done much to heal his heart and ease his grief, and he had Miranda to thank for that. He leaned in to brush a fond kiss against her cheek, along with a whispered, "Thank you," before turning to scoop Lyneth up in his arms. "Ready, pumpkin? Say goodbye to Uncle Rufus and Aunt Miranda."

Bundled up in coat, scarf, hat, and gloves, Lyneth was pretty much a brightly colored woolen ball with a cheeky grin as Des scooped her up and onto his hip, one mittened hand pushing her hat up out of her eyes as she blinked over at Miranda and Rufus. "G'bye," she told them obediently. "Thank you for my pressie, an' for my ice cream."

Des waited for Piper, a hand at her back, the little half-Fae girl balanced against his hip as they stepped out of the house that Rufus and Miranda shared and into the snowy cold of Rhy'Din. "Anytime, Lynnie! See you soon!" Miranda said, waving to the little trio as they headed away before closing the door behind them to turn her attention to her newlywed husband.

Parents and child stepped away, full of waving hands and warm goodbyes, disappearing into the wintery wonderland that Rhy'Din had become. With the crunch of snow beneath their shoes, they were quickly out of sight, leaving Rufus and Miranda to one another's company in the warmth and seclusion of their home.

((This turned out longer than I was expecting! Fun, though. Huge thanks to Des & Miranda's players for this scene!))